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Ilga Ziemins-Kurens


The road to discovery is an ever challenging one. After having taught art for most of my life and having helped students to create and learn, retirement brought a new phase to my life. Now it was my turn! I had the time to develop and refine my own art work. I worked with beading various jewelry designs, I continued a life-long interest in photography, I sketched and I started painting…a lot!

My painting seems to be compositionally influenced by my photography but then modified by an emotional response to the themes and topics selected. Sometimes inspiration comes from various places that my husband and I have visited. An underlying thought is often artistically expressed in some of my more semi-abstract work. I like to observe and work with the play of light, different angles and ever changing color relationships. Often an intuitive feeling for how to continue takes over while painting. The work seems to emerge, magic happens and a finished painting appears.

Artist Bio

Ilga Ziemins-Kurens lives in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. She grew up in Hyde Park, N.Y. and taught art in the Millbrook Central School District for 33 years. She has been a life-long resident of the Hudson Valley. She retired from teaching in 2008. Throughout her lifetime Ilga has been involved in looking, learning, studying and acquiring knowledge and insights about art. Her B.S. in Art Education was obtained from S.U.N.Y. New Paltz in 1974. Coursework for her permanent teaching certificate was also completed at S.U.N.Y. New Paltz in 1979. Ilga began teaching art in 1974 and during her teaching career was involved in setting up numerous art shows of her students’ art work, has had student work published in numerous publications and has guided students forward to continue pursuing careers in art. She has also taught and developed a summer camp program for many years.

Beginning in 2008, upon retirement, Ilga has turned to more deeply exploring her own talents. She is experimenting with various art forms. She has again returned to a life long interest in photography and jewelry making. She has also developed a strong interest in painting and in recent years has been pursuing this more seriously. Her painting is
emerging from a more realistic style to one that also includes more semi-abstract work.

After her retirement, Ilga has studied with Shirley Blake Wilson in Florida at the Bonita Springs Art Center, taking classes in both realistic and abstract art. In March 2013, Ilga joined the Artists’ Collective of Hyde Park. This Gallery has artwork changing every 5-6 weeks and Ilga has displayed several paintings in each show. She is currently on the Board of ACHP and since the summer of 2014 has taken on the role of co-curator. Since the Fall of 2014 she has been taking classes with Keith Gunderson at the ACHP. Ilga has just recently joined Arts Mid-Hudson where she has her jewelry and small paintings on display in the Dutchess Handmade shop.

Ilga Ziemins-Kurens Artwork – Post Retirement (June 2008)

2008 Summer Art Program Director/ Latvian Lutheran Church Camp

2009 Summer Art Program Director/ Latvian Lutheran Church Camp

2010 Summer Art Program Director/ Latvian Lutheran church Camp

2010 Fall/Winter Painting Exhibit/Show , Elka Park, N.Y.

2011 “Wow! Come See Us Now!” 3 person show “The Upstairs Gallery, Merritt

Book Store, Millbrook, N.Y.

2011-2014 Volunteer Astor Child Services, Mt. Carmel Place, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

after school arts/crafts sessions

2012 July-Sept. Solo Show at Zen Gallery, All Mine Jewelers, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

October Jewelry/Paintings on exhibit Craft Arts Fair, Lat. Ev.Luth. Church,

Yonkers, N.Y. Nov.-Dec. Painting With Shirley Blake Jones, Bonita Arts

Center, Bonita, Florida

2013 Joined Artists’ Collective of Hyde Park, Paintings/Jewelry display, Continued

classes with Shirley Blake Jones

2014 “Ilga Returns” Solo Show, Zen Gallery, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Board Member

Artists’ Collective of Hyde Park, N.Y. Co-curator shows

Summer 2014 –present time, began classes with Keith Gunderson 2015 Joined Arts

Mid-Hudson, work on display April through May at Dutchess Handmade

Artist Contact

ilga1006@gmail.com

Phone # 845 471-8814